Traitor to the Dragon Throne
by Chopsticks89
Summary: -My name is Akari, and I was born in the eighty-fourth year after Sozin's Comet, the same year as Fire Prince Zuko- which is undoubtedly considered 'lucky' by some idiot somewhere. - Sometimes, betrayal is an act to be proud of. Sometimes, being a fugitive is an adventure. OC
1. Revelations

**hey guys! bet you weren't expecting anything from me! haha, suckers!**

**anyway, enjoy the ride, and don't get bit by any mad rabbits!**

**Disclaimer: do you really need this?**

**Beta: the lovely and epic aussie- TigerInTheMoonlight! As ever, I'm crazy grateful that she puts up with my bullshit. Thank you Tiger!**

Prelude

I suppose this story is at least somewhat worthy of telling, seeing as adventures within the Earth Kingdom to traveling across the world aren't even the highlights of my tale. So, here goes.

xxx

I guess I should start by introducing myself, and explain what was happening when my story began.

.

.

.

Traitor to the Dragon Throne

_Chapter One_

_xxx_

My name is Akari, and I was born in the eighty-fourth year after Sozin's Comet, the same year as Fire Prince Zuko- which is undoubtedly considered 'lucky' by some idiot somewhere. I grew up in a small city on Kimura Island, the second largest island in the Fire Nation archipelago. My childhood was fairly normal -aside from the fact I grew up in an orphanage- and one that didn't exactly care much for its wards at that. Well, they fed us, kept us clothed and sent us to school, but that was about it. They barely gave us any attention at all, rarely bothering to punish us (unless we broke some really big rule or somebody else was snitch enough to bring it up). So, I grew up in a place that didn't care what I did as long as it was legal -or I at least wasn't caught doing it. You can only imagine the type of things that went on there.

The school I went to was given very little funding, and the teachers had too many uncontrollable students to care much about discipline. You break the rules enough, without care for the consequences, and after a while nobody really gives a shit anymore. But that's beside the point-the turning point of my young life took place in that school, which considering everything actually had a surprisingly well-stocked library. Probably because nobody cared about books enough to vandalize the place. I think the curator was actually grateful for me, as I frequently escaped both my classes and my responsibilities in that library. It was there, in the very back and on dustiest shelf that I found a book that had somehow escaped the mass censorship ordered by the Fire Lord around the time of Sozin's Comet. The book was absolutely ancient, bound by leather and completely covered in dust, enough to make me go into a sneezing fit just cracking it open. It was down at the bottom of the shelf, behind several other books and at first glance it seemed entirely unremarkable. It was also really nasty, what with all that dust, so it's no surprise that no one wanted to touch it. It had fallen from its hiding place when I took out the book in front of it; a dry treatise on the political ramifications of Avatar Kyoshi's splitting off her island from the mainland. Of course, when a dust covered and antique book falls off a shelf in the restricted section of your library, and you are an inquisitive and admittedly eccentric preteen such as I was, you pick it up, dust it off, and examine it. Never mind the fact that not reporting it will most likely end up with you in a lot of trouble (even at my school). We weren't ever supposed to be in the restricted section anyway…there was reason it was 'Restricted'.

Immediately upon finding the book, I shook off the dust, and opened it excitedly- it wasn't everyday that something this interesting happened in my life, much less in the library of all places. The title page read 'The Four Nations and Their Militaries, a Treatise on War after Avatar Yangchen'. I'd not heard of her before, so I assumed she was one of the ones we didn't talk about here in the Fire Nation. Turns out I was right, as a quick glance at the foreword proclaimed that she was an Air Nomad Avatar; this little bit of information peaked my interest greatly, and I decided to tuck the book into my bag and make off with it. It's not like it would be missed. As I had done this many times before, getting the 'borrowed' book into my bunk at the orphanage was no big deal, and I hurried down for dinner once it was tucked away safely under my mattress.

xxx

After the meal, I stole another candle from the matron's office (really she should know to lock the door by now), and headed back upstairs. All the other children had already gone back outside to do whatever it was that normal kids did after dinner, so I was uninterrupted as I crawled into the rafters of the building. I had discovered that there was a space where I could hide away from everyone else when I was much younger, and had found it by accident after skipping out on a lesson. The ceilings of the orphanage were sturdy enough to hold my weight, as the space between the roof and the rafters was meant as a storage space. However, only the blocked off side over the boys' dorms was used, as squirrel-bats had once made a habit of nesting over the girls' dorms and nobody was game enough to check if they were really gone after one of them bit the matron a few years back. Of course they were all long gone now and their entry hole blocked up, but nobody needed to know that. It was up here that I kept my books and other stolen nick-nacks, and hid when it got too hectic or boring for me down below. Now, as I settled down, I lit several of the candles around me, and sat down to read my new book. Oh, I should probably mention that I'm a Fire Bender, and that I look about as 'Fire Nation' as is possible. These facts will come into play later.

The foreword didn't have much that I hadn't seen when I had skimmed over it back in the library, just that Avatar Yangchen had been born in the western Air Temple, was preceded by the Fire Nation Avatar Haruhiko, and had maintained an era of Peace for her entire reign as Avatar. After the prelude, there was a page of notes, seemingly from those who had edited the various editions of the book. The most recent one was dated around twenty years after Sozin's Comet, and was from a Fire Nation man called Kuzon, who asked that the reader make sure that the secrets of the book were kept and preserved. I was a bit skeptical that the book held many secrets, but I shrugged and kept reading. A few dry chapters about ancient militaries in, I was yawning my way through the end of the Fire Nation section, when the next section's title caught my eye. 'Air Nomads' -finally! The history of the Air Nomad army, the notoriously ruthless and dishonorable fighters who had been defeated by the Great and Noble fire Lord Sozin, the bringer of a new era! I aroused myself from drowsiness and dove into the words with excitement. It didn't last, however, and was soon replaced by a numb sense of horror.

According to this book, the Air Nomads had been a pacifistic culture, who believed in non-violence and peace. They had never had a military. They had never had armies. Their defeat now sounded less and less like a glorious victory over ruthless would-be attackers, as we had always been told, and more like an unprovoked genocide. I felt sick to my stomach, and further considering the implications, I had to choke back bile that tried to rise in my throat. Avatar Roku had died twelve years before the attack on the Air Nomads. The cycle dictates that the new Avatar would have been born into the Air Nomads. They would have been twelve years old at the time of the Comet. If the old legends were true, the Avatar wouldn't have even known of their status yet! They would have been too young to fight back; and if the Air Nomads were truly pacifists at the time, they wouldn't have even known how. It was murder.

By that time, it was about five minutes before the other children came inside, and if I wanted to stay out of trouble, I had best get down quickly. I marked the page of the horrifying revelation, and closed the book. After climbing mostly out of the ceiling, I put out the candles, which were burning low. Just as I dropped onto my bed, still feeling pretty out of sorts, one of the other girls-a snooty bitch called Haruka- walked in. I don't recall exactly what happened, but she stopped bothering me afterwards.

The rest of the evening was a blur, and I believe I ended up dry retching several times. Later on, as I was lying in bed, lucidity returned to me briefly. I remember praying to the spirits to forgive me for ever thinking that the Air Nomad massacre was justified. I lay there in shock for quite some time, and finally fell into a fitful sleep what seemed like hours later.

xxx

I woke several hours after dawn the next day, a worrying thing for a Fire Bender, and I still felt quite awful, though I was no longer in a daze. I skipped school that day, and spent the morning coming to terms with what I had learned the night before. There were several times when I weakly tried to validate the disturbing actions of my country, but I knew they were not justifiable, and finally accepted the ugly truth. I was part of a nation of killers.

At around noon, I snuck back into my hiding spot, and retrieved the book, as well as some lunch from the kitchen as I had not eaten since dinner the night before, and had most likely emptied my stomach since then, and took off. Once I had reached the forest outside of town, I sat down and hesitantly opened the book, my hands trembling with apprehension at what other horrors I might find there.

The rest of the section on Air Nomads thankfully proved to hold no more terrors, but directly afterward was a personal account written by Kuzon, the last to renew the book. He told of his friend, a young Air Bender called Aang, whose death had shed light on the true nature of my nation's beloved Fire Lord Sozin. Kuzon had ended up spending the rest of his life working to end Sozin's reign, although he failed at that, in the end. All he could do was help people and try to spread the knowledge that the Fire Lord was attempting to make 'disappear', or be 'replaced'. It was a gruesome story, and I'm sure that it continued after his final editing of the book, but his story was cut short by whatever circumstance had caused him to hide the book in the first place.

After a brief pause to finish my lunch, I skimmed the remaining chapters of the book that changed my life, but no other groundbreaking knowledge came to light. I kept the book, however. Most of the books I stole from the library were returned after a while, but not this one. I memorized the passage in which it spoke of the Air Nomads, and that night, my inner fire took on a new light.

_(End)_

xxx

**yeah, hope you like it! drop me a line and review, people! also it''ll be posted on my deviantart sometime soon-ish.**

**next chapter will be up this time next week, hopefully. (all chapters should be posted on saturdays-ish) (if i can keep my shit together) (so no promises)**

**-Chopsticks89**


	2. Looking Ahead

**Alright, here's the nex- *gets shot* okay, okay, it's really late, I'm sorry, but I _did_ warn you. **

**Well, proceed as usual, my minions!**

**xxx**

Chapter 2

_Looking Ahead_

After I had recovered from the appalling revelation, I began to make plans. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what it was I was planning for, but it went along the lines of survival, isolation and just running. The grim predictions of the consequences of such a course of action were not yet clear to me, but it would come to me as time passed and I grew used to the changes in my world.

**xxx**

I had never before been interested in anything that would require any more social interaction than strictly necessary, but now I shocked both my peers and, honestly, myself by signing up for the after school Bo Staff lessons offered. I took to it well, and while it did take away from time that I felt would have been better spent, it wasn't actually a waste of time at all, as it provided a sure way to release tension I was unaware I had carried. My sudden shift from inaction and apathy to a dedicated student quickly sky rocketed me from the mediocre rank of academia to hovering just near the top with minimal effort. It disgusted me to affirm the inaccuracies and propaganda my nation had spread in the years before, during, and after Sozin's conquest, but I took small joys in the looks of contempt on my classmates' faces as I began scoring higher than them in every class.

In the library, my pursuits changed from whatever caught my eyes, to books on Geography, particularly of the Earth Kingdom, and the various ways of life and cultural heritages found there. I also began studying maps in earnest, unconsciously plotting routes and safe passages.

Several months later, I snuck back into the library just as the sun had set one memorably exhausting night, careful to avoid the aging librarian's notice when I encountered him on my way to the building, as the library had just closed for the night. Once inside, I carefully slid the glass panel incasing the world map, and sat down to carefully copy it onto the large scroll I had brought with me. It was a strenuous task, as even the tiniest mistake or miscalculation could drastically change the course of travel and end in disaster. I continued to return until I had finished my task shortly before dawn three days later, and left to creep back into my bed, stifling yawns and rubbing my bloodshot eyes, exhausted yet satisfied.

**xxx**

Over the next year I managed to amass a small, but considerable amount of money, as well as honing the pick-pocketing skills that any self-respecting ward of the state had at least some semblance of. The Bo Staff turned out to be a weapon of worth, as it could be disguised as a walking stick, (not at all unusual for a traveler, even a young girl)and was not fatal unless you intended it to be, an area in which it differed refreshingly from fire bending. With my new skills came the welcome avoidance of the more violent tendencies my peers were prone to, providing a blessed respite from their taunts and aggravations.

What I had been slowly preparing for caught up to me suddenly and unexpectedly on the night of my fourteenth birthday, which I spent picking the locks on the local militia's arms room, and acquiring a lovely pair of well-balanced daggers. It hit me dead on, like a cloud over the sun. I was preparing to run; working up to it, waiting for it, biding my time. Apparently, I was subconsciously trying to be sure I would survive on the run from the Fire Nation.

Well.

That was not quite as unexpected as it should have been. After all, what else could I do, if anything was to change? And things _had_ to change.

After the second epiphany of my life, my scheming nature changed yet again. I began to include the how, the when and the wheres into my little plot; how I would go, when I would go, where I would go. I already knew why. It was a daunting task- no one knew where any sort of organized resistance was, and that was why I wanted to find them in the first place. They were good at what they did, good at hiding from my nation's armies.

**xxx**

Two weeks after my fourteenth birthday, Fire Prince Zuko was banished by his father. In the rumors that went around, they said he was scarred permanently over his eye, disfigured by fire. No one was stupid enough to ask the hows and whys of this particular mystery, but everyone wondered quietly to themselves. Fire Lord Ozai had come to power six years agoafter Prince Lu Ten's death at Ba Sing Sae, and Prince Iroh's subsequent retreat. Fire Lord Azulon died barely two weeks later, after abruptly making Ozai his heir. Lady Ursa's rumored death and unannounced disappearance took place at the same time. The royal family was in tatters. Even for the exceedingly loyal Fire Nation citizens, this was raising suspicions, and was potentially downright riot-material. However, malevolent rulers had long since ground out any real hope of answers from the current regime.

Thoughts of the wayward Prince's banishment and of the retired General Iroh's supposed accompaniment of him soon left my mind, replaced by more pressing concerns. My ego was something that had pulled at me as long as I could remember, and now it was no different, demanding a showy betrayal of the Fire Nation. I'm still not certain why I ever thought this was a good idea, but even so, I have never regretted taking that impulsive and egotistical course of action. It had felt too good.

As my fifteenth birthday drew nearer, thoughts of a distinctly unpleasant nature hovered much more incessantly about my mind. I had done my best to suppress the horror and disgust I still felt over my nation's crimes against the Air Nomads, but a lingering sickness to my stomach began when those thoughts came to me. This happened much more often than I would have wished, as I was slow to sleep, and as it always goes, the mind turns to unpleasant thoughts when you try to sleep. Annoying as anything, but I had mostly defeated it by working myself to exhaustion many nights with my Bo Staff. An unhealthy practice that took me years to shake off, it was only semi-successful at best. As time passed and yet nothing changed, my thoughts became increasingly negative, and burning temples in the sky plagued my dreams. This would lessen with time, distance and the action I craved, but at that unfulfilled stage in my life it was the bane of many of my nights, and sometimes days.

However, I also grew into my skills as a Firebender, and my Bo Staff and daggers became treasured and useful possessions. I began to spend days at a time away from both the orphanage that I was outgrowing and the school that had been so instrumental in my earlier life. My nights in the forest, or on the side of the road were surprisingly restful, and after once I proved to be capable of taking on any bandits, they were peaceful as well.

Life went on for me, and the days bled into the nights as I fell into routine. This went on until well after my fifteenth birthday, when a sudden shock kicked my world, and my plans into action.

**xxx**

There was a scroll in the hands of the matron when she came up to me, the official military seal closing up my throat when I noticed it. The woman stopped before me, and gave a look of 'whatever am I to do with you' before speaking wearily.

"Akari, this arrived with a hawk yesterday morning for you. It's from the Fire Nation military Academy." I distinctly remember my hands shaking as I took the scroll, sitting down on my bed with a thump. I peeled off the red wax seal, dropping it beside me. The next moments are very clear to me still. Opening the scroll, I read the contained letter slowly and carefully.

'_To Akari, Ward of the State, Ikobu Home for Children, Ikobu City, Kimura Island-_

_We are pleased to announce your acceptance to the Fire Nation Military Academy. You have been selected for this honorable commendation from careful examination of your records and abilities, and have been deemed worthy. The Fire Nation Military Academy is a prestigious opportunity for young members of our great Nation, and you are almost guaranteed a high position in the Fire Nation military after graduation. To accept this offer, please reply to the following by…" _

My face felt frozen. The Fire Nation Military Academy is a school of sorts for young aspiring officers and high ranking government officials. Schools throughout the islands, as well as the colonies, send the records of their best student's academic and physical performances to the bureaucrats in charge of the Academy. The files are sorted through, carefully reviewed and afterwards a select amount of the students are sent acceptance letters. Apparently, my efforts at my own school had exceeded those of my peers to the point where I was given a spot on the list for Kimura Island. Other than that, I'm not quite sure how I managed to make the final list, as I'm not the best choice, behavioral-wise, for the military. And I'm pretty sure they take that into consideration during the process as well. Anyway, an invitation to the Academy was pretty much a huge wrench in my plans, as it forced me to hurry myself into the final stages before I had meant to.

Perhaps it was this urgency that caused my rather...flamboyant exit of the Fire Nation. No matter what comes next though, I began to gather the various supplies I had gathered for my journey. I sold the remainder of my hidden book stash, excluding, of course, the book that had begun my adventures. The money I split into two parts- one half for my flight, and the other I used to purchase what supplies I couldn't acquire through cheaper and slightly less legal methods. These provisions I hid in a small cliff cave behind the market place that I had been using as a hideout since I was eight, having found while running from a merchant I had stolen some fruit from.

A week or so before my departure, I looked into a mirror and hit a snag in my plan. As I previously mentioned, I look about as fire nation as possible. Pale skin, very dark hair, and amber-gold eyes that basically advertise that "inner fire" we have. Yep, they don't have those in the Earth Kingdom. Which meant I'd stick out like a platypus-bear amongst cow-pigs unless I did something about it. Luckily, by discovering a thin type of fabric that one could only see through if it was, say, worn as a blindfold, I found a quick solution. My other features wouldn't stand out over much in the Earth Kingdom, so as long as I kept the blindfold on, I was safe. A stranger in a blindfold is nothing compared to a Firebender.

So, after fashioning myself several blindfolds from this fabric, I had nothing to do but wait for the day of my departure. The next few days were the most tense, anxious time in my life, as I sat around, unable to concentrate on anything, just waiting for something to happen. By the time the day finally came, I was wound tight as a bowstring, about to snap, going stir-crazy with anticipation. I didn't sleep the night before the fateful dawn, I shot up from my bed, hurriedly dressing and slipping out into the quiet and misty forest to gather my supplies. It was time.

_(End)_

**xxx**

**Alright, so, yeah. Second chapter. Life goes on, pace picking up, mentions of Zuko (!)...**

**Also-for the purposes of this story, I have placed Zuko's birthday at the very end of the year, with Akari's at the beginning. so she's almost a year older than him, but still born in the same year.**

**Any other questions or comments, feel free to ask. Hate will get you laughed out of the place.**

**-Chopsticks**


End file.
